The concept of adjusting soil pH has a rich history. Marcus Varro, one of the most prolific writers of Roman history, wrote in a book around 116 B.C., "They manured their fields with white chalk which they dug out of the ground."...

The components of the disease triangle (host, pathogen and environment) set the stage for disease development. One environmental component that is commonly accepted as an important factor in the onset of disease is nitrogen fertility....